This book consists of writings which focus on the role of physical educators in the growth, development, and evolution of competitive basketball. It is divided into two parts, "The Early Years of Basketball--l890s-l930s" and "The Second Fifty Years of Basketball--1940s-1980s." Part I contains 3 sections which place basketball in its historical and cultural framework. The chapters in Part I are as follows: (1) Introduction to Part I; (2) Senda Berenson Abbott: New Woman, New Sport; (3) Clara Gregory Baer: Catalyst for Women's Basketball; (4) The Governance of Athletics for Girls and Women: Leadership by Women Physical Educators, l899-1949; (5) The Tides of Change in Women's Basketball; (6) The Domestication of Basketball; (7) "The Sacrifice of Maidens" or Healthy Sportswomen? The Medical Debate Over Women's Basketball; (8) Hoops and Skirts: Women's Basketball on the West Coast, 1892-1930s; (9) Basketball Texas Style, 1910-1933: School to Industrial League Competition; (10) The Early Years of Basketball in Kentucky; and (11) Iowa, the Longtime "Hot Bed" of Girls Basketball. Part II consists of 4 sections on governance, special populations, and associations. The chapters are: (12) Introduction to Part II; (13) The Saga of Competition: Basketball Battles and Governance War; (14) Rachel E. Bryant: Twenty-One Years of Women's Leadership in Basketball--in Sport; (15) Women's Basketball Officiating. (16) The Legacy of AIAW; (17) Women's Intercollegiate Basketball: AIAW/NCAA; (18) Coaching and Game Reflections, 1940s to 1980s; (19) Basketballs, Goldfish, and World Championships; 20) Queens College: Success with No Frills; (21) Women's Wheelchair Basketball; (22) The Future Is the Present in Organizations for Basketball; and (23) Title IX, AIAW, and Beyond--A Time for Celebration. (LL)